by Jackson Bates
Marketing & Communications intern
How do you get a job after graduation? The generic counsel to dress professionally and always be polite is good advice, but it’s not enough. A lot of people will give you do’s and don’ts, but the guidelines for trying to find the right career it is not so cut and dry—especially when it seems like there are tons of other graduates just like you going after the same job.
To separate yourself from the endless pool of qualified graduates, take advantage of all possible resources. These options, from Joe McMichael, Ivy Tech Northeast’s Career Services director, might just help you land the career you have been working toward.
- Use Career Services. It offers assistance with career planning, resume polishing, mock interviewing, and networking. Learn more here.
- Check out HireIvy, Ivy Tech’s free online career management tool. Students and alumni can post resumes and search for job and internship opportunities.
- Clean up your online presence. Potential employers often look at your social media accounts for any information they can find, so look professional!
- Use job searching and networking tools. McMichael suggests building a profile on LinkedIn. He also suggests using job searching sites such as Indeed or Monster. These sites make it easy to find up-to-date job postings and can take you right to the application site.
- Follow up after interviews, and send a thank you letter. You are not the only applicant, and a follow up thank you letter is a good way to get noticed and remembered.
- Don’t rely solely on the ‘net. Use friends and family to help build connections and find potential job posting. You never know who they might know.
- Attend career fairs. The Northeast Indiana Career Enrichment career fair from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on April 14 in IPFW’s Gates Athletic Center is a great way to meet local employers and make connections. Remember to dress professionally and bring multiple copies of your resume.
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